Edward Kennedy

Veteran US Senator Edward Kennedy, the brother of ex-President John F Kennedy, has died after battling a brain tumour. He became a member of the Senate in 1962 to replace his brother when he resigned to become president, and was re-elected seven times.

Edward Kennedy, 77, was the only one of four brothers to die a natural death. His eldest brother Joseph was killed in an air crash in World War II, and both President John F Kennedy and presidential hopeful Robert F Kennedy were assassinated.

He was widely expected to be the next Kennedy in the White House but he was never able to fully overcome the scandal in 1969 when he drove a car off a bridge at Chappaquiddick near his home, killing his female passenger. The incident derailed his only presidential bid, more than a decade later.